Tao Te Ching
Chéng Xuanying 成玄英
(Ch'eng Hsuan-ying)
631 – 655 CE
A Daoist monk and exceptional scholar during the early Tang dynasty, Xuanying wrote highly respected commentaries and summaries on both Lao Tzu and Chang Tzu. The first emperor of Tang invited him to the capital and gave him the title, “Master of West China” but he was later exiled. He taught that “mystery” means profundity, that it persists neither in Being nor in Nonbeing, that we should not persist in “mystery,” but negate it. This led to Zhuangzi's thought and the Buddhist philosophy of the Middle Way. His tradition was called the “Twofold Mystery School” and his writings on this made it the main influence on Daoist philosophy of the time.
Lineages
Taoist
Eras
Chinese
Tang Dynasty 唐朝 (618 – 907 CE)Sources
Quotes by Chéng Xuanying (3 quotes)
“‘Without traveling’ means to know without depending on previous or external experience… ‘without trying’ means to focus the spirit on the tranquility that excels at making things happen.”
Chapters:
47. Effortless Success
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“The true Tao exists and yet does not exist. It does not exist and it does not not exist… Outside of the Tao, there are no things. And outside of things, there is no Tao.”
Chapters:
21. Following Empty Heart
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“They are satisfied with their food because they taste the Tao. They are pleased with their clothing because they are adorned with virtue. They are content with their homes because they are content wherever they are.”
Chapters:
80. A Golden Age
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Quotes about Chéng Xuanying (1 quotes)
“Taoist master and proponent of using an eclectic approach to explain the teachings of Lao Tzu. [Cheng Xuanying's] commentary... reflects the influence of Chuang Tzu along with Buddhist Sanlun and Tientai teachings and was required reading for Taoists seeking ordination during the Tang dynasty.”
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